ENERGY STAR Labeled Building Profile

The Atlanta Veterans Administration Regional Office (RO) and other Veterans Administration (VA) entities are housed at 1700 Clairmont Road, Decatur, Georgia. The RO, which occupies the majority of square footage, is responsible for delivering non-medical VA benefits and services to Georgia Veterans and their families. This is accomplished through the administration of comprehensive and diverse benefit programs established by Congress. The goal is to deliver these benefits and services in a timely, accurate and compassionate manner.

Through an enhanced-use lease agreement between the Department of Veteran Affairs and the Development Authority of Dekalb County, the Atlanta VA Regional Office was opened for business in February of 2000, signaling "a new beginning in serving Veterans." Located adjacent to the Atlanta Regional Veterans Medical Center, the project was completed by a design/ build/ manage/development team comprised of Colliers Cauble Keenan, Facilities Engineering, Turner Construction, HLM Design and RL Brown. The building is a four story, 188,000 square foot office building as well as parking deck both clad in architectural pre-cast and connected by a metal barrel-vault porte-cochere. The project was designed to provide the RO with a newer, more corporate-like facility that would provide the flexibility and growth potential that they did not enjoy in their previous location.

The interior architecture and finishes were specifically designed to create an upgraded corporate feel while still being fiscally responsible as well as maintainable over the usable life-cycle of the building. In addition to the overall image, the design solution also placed circulation as much as possible along the insulated exterior glass. This feature, along with energy conscious lighting and HVAC systems, makes the building extremely energy efficient, lowering overhead costs for the VA. The inclusion of the facility management firm during the planning, design and construction phase was an important step in ensuring the energy performance of the facility.

The Energy Management System utilizes a time of day schedule to control the lighting and mechanical systems. T8 lamps with electronic ballasts provide illumination throughout the building. Air handling unit (AHU) discharge air temp is reset via reporting from the Powered Induction Units and variable volume units in the controlled area. Variable frequency drives are featured throughout the AHU's, chilled water pumps, and cooling tower fans. Airflow measuring stations and CO2 sensors are utilized to measure and control the volume of outdoor air for each air-handling unit. A bypass valve creates a primary and secondary chilled water loop for maximum efficiency. The flat plate heat exchanger allows the VA to have free cooling at 70 degrees OAT. Operating within a web-based CMMS system, the Facilities Engineering preventative maintenance program helps reduce energy costs even further.

The parties involved in this project from design, development, financing, construction, facilities management are proud to be a part of this facility in support of the associates that serve our nations Veterans.

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Please note: Narrative information in this profile has been provided by Corporate Facilities Group Inc. dba Facilities Engineering or a representative of this facility. Other building information was verified and submitted to EPA at the time of application. Building energy performance, operating characteristics, and ownership/management may be subject to change over time.